Observations, articles, opinions etc. in Dutch and English. The author, Bert de Bruin (Yonathan Dror Bar-On), is a Dutch-Jewish historian, who has specialized in modern Jewish history and in the history of the Middle East, and who in 1995 emigrated from the Netherlands to Israel. He wrote one book (2008), and edited another (2011), both in Dutch. For feedback please post a comment, or send this blog's author an email: (hisdutchname)atyahoodotcom

Friday, January 20, 2006

Not every day I have a casual conversation with a Nobel prize winner. Early this evening I returned home with our son after having brought a freshly baked loaf of bread to my parents-in-law, who live two streets away from us. When we entered the building where we live ( ten families live in our building ) I saw a man who appeared to be the same age as my father with a girl who appeared to be about the same age as our daughter. They were clearly looking for someone or something so I asked them if I could help them. I recognized the girl, she used to be in the afternoon playgroup with our daughter, and when the man - who obviously was the girl's grandfather - said that they were looking for the H. family, I understood that the girl was going to visit Gal H., who used to be in kindergarten with our daughter, and who started primary school one year before our daughter because of the age difference. I told them that I was almost sure that the H. family lives in the next building, the grandfather thanked me and they went on their way. His face looked familiar, and when I finally remembered the girl's family name the penny dropped: I just had spoken to one of the three winners of last year's ( 2004, that is ) Nobel Prize in Chemistry.